This two-story home in the Neighborhood on 86th is in excellent condition and shows like new construction. Enjoy the benefits of a single family home combined with the convenience of having no mowing or shoveling. This home is nicely finished through-out. The whole house is trimmed with a very distinctive combination of maple. The kitchen area has maple cabinets with under-cabinet lighting, granite countertops and wood flooring. There is a large eating area that offers a great view of the neighborhood. The living room area is very spacious and offers a cozy fireplace. The second floor has an extremely roomy master bedroom with a big closet area and master bath with shower and bubble tub. The lower level offers a great TV or office area as well as lots of storage space. With the egress window it would be very easy to add a 3rd bedroom. Great Johnston location, quick possession possible.

Property Details

Property Photos

Des Moines Foreclosure Properties

We are happy to be able to offer this capability as a reliable means of identifying REO homes for sale. If you perform a Google search for Des Moines foreclosures, you will find many companies that claim to offer similiar properties. Unfortunantely the information is often out of date or unreliable.

The homes are segmented by price into two groups, those listed below $100,000 and those listed below $100,000.

Feel free to browse the listings. If you would like to get new foreclosure listings forwarded to you via email the same day they are listed just contact me and let me know which areas and price-ranges you are most interested in.

Most of these homes are technically foreclosures or short sales and in most cases you end up negotiating with a lending institution. However unlike traditional foreclosures you have an opportunity to purchase a home in new condition.

In the Des Moines metro area most of these homes are priced in the $300,000+ price range and are in various stages of construction. In almost every case the homes are enclosed and secured with the exteriors completely to partially finished. On the interior they could be just through framing stage all the way to almost completed and just require floor coverings, counter-tops etc.

The options for completing construction vary depending on the specific property. On some homes the builder is willing to complete construction and close just like any other transaction. In other cases the buyer would be responsible for getting a construction loan and hiring a contractor to finish the project. In this case there is additional effort required by any potential buyer to secure financing, get estimates and hire a contractor.

If you are interested in receiving  more information or exploring the possibilities, please let me know.

Take a look just don’t be too critical of the talent (mine that is, I should have had an extra cup of coffee):

For information about this great neighborhood or Adel, you can visit these websites:

Adel Homes Online

River Valley Golf Community Information

For home listings at River Valley Golf Community, click this link:

River Valley Golf Community Homes For Sale

I took a quick video to give you a feel for the property. Take a look:

For more information and more detailed photos visit my website for additional Des Moines IA homes for sale.

Before we get into who pays the highest/lowest, it’s important to understand how property taxes are calculated. The basic formula is:

(assessed value x rollback) x tax levy

The assessed value is determined by the county assessor and is based on the market value of your home.  The rollback is set by the state, the rollback for 2008 is .455893. To find the historical rollback figures you can go to here:
http://www.assess.co.polk.ia.us/web/info/rollback/rollback.html

The levy numbers (mill rates) are a combination of local expenses including city, county, school district, hospital and special assessments.  This is the factor you need to consider when comparing taxes in different areas. Since cities, counties and school district boundaries overlap you need to look at the specific tax district for a home you are considering. You can  find the tax levy numbers for Polk County here:
http://auditor.co.polk.ia.us/tax/levies07.pdf

The Dallas County figures are here starting under Sheet 3:
http://www.co.dallas.ia.us/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=1470

You can see the variations in areas by looking at the above tables.  The totals contained in the tables are based on the valuation per $1,000.

An example tax calculation for a $200,000 home in Clive would be:

(($200,000 x .455893 = $91179) /1000=91.179) x 34 = $3,100

So who has the most favorable rates? You can compare costs by looking at the tax levy tables. In Polk County, an area of Des Moines in the SE Polk school district has a levy of  49.71, that is the highest in the county. Sheldahl in the North Polk school district is currently paying the lowest in Polk County with  a levy of  32.11. How does that affect your tax bill? The  $200,000 home with a levy of 49.71 would be paying $4,532 per year while the same home levied at 32.11 would be paying $2,927.

Most home buyers would consider that to be a significant difference. However, I think it can be a mistake to look a property taxes as the primary factor for considering where you would like to live. There are many other things to consider including school districts and proximity to areas of interest (shopping, recreation, cultural, etc.). Another factor is the overall cost of living, while property taxes may be low in a certain area that savings could easily be spent on increased commute costs.

As always, it pays to do some research upfront and consult a real estate professional when you have questions.

1. Interest rates remain close to record lows
2. There is an $8,000 tax credit available to first-time buyers
3. Inventory and selection remains good
4. Considering the builder/seller incentive, foreclosures, etc., there are plenty of good buys out there

Unfortunately as the recession looms on, some buyers are nervous about employment and are hesitant to move forward with their purchase.

Last week Iowa Realty announced a new program – the HELP program from The Rainy Day Foundation. This program is based on similar plans from the auto industry. The essence of the plan is if you lose your job within two years of purchasing your new home, your mortage payments would be covered for up to six months. Some of the details include:

• The plan is funded by sellers at a cost of $500, buyers can’t purchase it themselves
• If two people own a home together and one loses their job, the portion of the mortgage payment is pro-rated
•  There is a two month waiting period

You can read more about it by clicking on the link to this flyer:
http://www.desmoineshomestoday.com/docs/help-flyer.pdf

Feel free to call or write if  you have questions or would like to discuss the program in more detail.